Apparatus for installing superheater tubes in boiler flues



Aug. 4, 1931. w. N. TATRO APPARATUS FOR INSTALLING SUPERHEATER TUBES IN BOILER FLUES Filed Oct. 13. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1v uan ' INVENTOR. William A. Yira,

A TTORNEY.

4, 1931. w. N. TATRO 1,817,327

APPARATUS FOR INSTALLING SUPERHEATER T UBES IN BOILER FLUES Filed Oct. 15, 1930 2 SheetsSheet .2

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' hZZz'arrZ/Viira,

A TTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 4, 1931 f v 7 b817 WI LIJIAM N. 'r-A rno, or WEST srrcruermnng m sskcnnsn'r rsfl a APPA ATUS{ onlirs'rnn iiiie'sUPEfeHEAT u'UBns-m' mm nuns,

Application 'fiieafoet'o'ber 13, 1930. seriel No. 438,198.. v

invention'relattes to an improvement in an appar'atus for installing superheirte'r tubes in boiler flues, mid more partieulwrly in the flues of a locomotive boiler; 5 Au'obj'e'et of my invention is to save a grezfit' deal of time and manual labor involved in replacing the sup'erheater tubes in the boiler'fiue's; after they have' been removed for eleaning 'repairin gi Under present conditions,

ie it has been founclthztt-it requires the service's'ef nine men and 'evproxi'mately three days time vto replacethese tu'b'es in a large locomotive r boiler having 204 fiues. Vith myu p'p a ratus,

" this same Work may b tW encl One-half hours and with the services 'ef'onl'y two employees;

' Broetdly, my invention eempr ise'sen arir o'rether motor which is attached to a wineh -r2tlity of tackle bloeks through whichfthe cable passes, means for remova-bly securing the ftaekle blocks in an'y one of the boiler flues'and a cleviee 'sitteeh'ed t the iree end 33-3 bf the cable for remova'bly attaching theca- "ble' tQ-t'he front end efa holder member which supportsthesuperheater tubes; Where- "by the superhea'ter {tube units which cemprise eight-"oi? these tubes will be inserted into their respective 'fiues, when the eeblfe'is' wound, on the'd'ruml by the' r'netor; "By

changing the positions zof the; mmovable referenee to the 'bofiler t aekle bloicksQW-ith whee; "zill 'of the superheii-ter tube units may superheater tubes, which" are located inthe boilr tub'es, are small tubes-thrbughwhich the moist steam to be'drie'd is p assed,be'f0'fe "it enters the-steam space 'Of \the 'loc'omtitive. These tubes 'ajre externally subjected-t0 the hot ases of- Combustion on their passage the smok b'o'x; In practice, there aretwfo boiler"tubes. I My inSerEtWO'ef these: superheeter tiflriesii veach of fourbf theboiler tubes a't' one opei ution.

e accomplishedinnbeut be inserted. It should be stated -that these 0f these superheater tubes' eeh 0 i title 7 inventionis designed to Referring to the drawings:

- Fig.

smoke bex en'l ,ofe locomotive boiler, showing aJ-un'i t Of the supei hea t'er tubesirbeut "to be inserted. i Fig. 2 is a n"enlargedcletail?side 'ele'va fiien- 'afl View, partly in section-"0f ajunitf-abeut'to be installed. 7 i v Fig.3 is an encl elev atienatlview Fig. showing superheater tubes in iour ei'fitihe boiler tubes. j

Fig; 4. is an "enlargedrdetuil' 'i ieW on line of showing/the eight tubes engaged "bythe holder members. 'er member for a unit; Fig; Gtis a, detail end viewef the helder.

, Fig. 7 is a plavnview of the holler, amtl Fig- 8 is an.enlarged"deteil viewfdf one of the expansien me'mber's whichkaire insertedin a tube of the"b0ile'r. I i f V Referring to the d ew'ings meet-en 1 designatesthe beilerf profper hewi-ng' the usu' l tubes 2", which terminate in 'the smoke boxspa'c'e 4- tion of the'smeke :box to'fw'hie h the "usual cover, or door p1ete, '(n0ts'hewn)is secured;

l Referring now tofihe-detailsof m-y-inventionr '5 designates a plate or br'zr'cke't iner nbe'r which "the bolts :6 passing through the openings"? ofit1' e flange 4;; ;'8 indicates aj-winflin lm ,i

T en& s tothe wvifnd'ing'rlrumfi,this eiible' being 1 passed and-e1- the two. sheave W'heel'slQ 33nd T heed-Wheels are remevijbly mtas'inel, with reference as to 'loe'etibng in any 6f the bdile'r tubesfQ by' ine'a ns ef the split bled-k $00 members 14 a'nclf15, 'w hieh {are formed with the ribsIG and a ftztpfere l opening 1 8 through 'c'he'sanieu i-s: a; Weelge sh'alpecl membe t'he't is inserted in thetapered-s'haped openend' of which wedge is' formed "with thefeyes 19 :to reeeive f-the swivel he0ks 20"ef?the two snmtclrgbloeks" 21 mm support-eke fsheewe -wheels 12 and l:3, meilt ioned eheve; were l'is a verticaljsecti'enal View bfthe i 5 is an enlarged side view'of f the 11. 5,

designetesYthefittnge perv is secured to; the fiange'4 by one for adjustably securing them together with the screw 23. hen these blocks are inserted in a boiler tube and the wedge 17 drawn outward, the blocks will be moved outward and the ribs 16 will serve to retain them against removal from the tubes, as readily understood.

One of the units of superheater tubes is indicated, as a whole, by the reference numeral 24, which comprises eight small tubes, two of which are inserted in each of the boiler tubes, as indicated in Fig. 3. This super heater unit does not form any part of my present invention, but is shown here in detail, in order to illustrate how one of them is inserted in four of the tubes of a locomotive boiler. Referring to Figures 2 and 4, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 and 32 designate the eight superheater tubes of the unit 24. Fig. 3 illustrates two of the superheater tubes in four of the boiler tubes 2, namely, 25 and 26, 27 "and 28; 29 and and 31 and 32. Tubes 26 and 27 are connected together with the part 26: tubes 28 and 29 are connected together with the part 28; tubes 29 and 30 are connected with the part 29; tubes 30 and .31 are connected with the part 30; tubes 31 and 32 are 1 connected with the part 31; tubes 25 and 32 with the part 25 and tubes 25 and 26 with the part 25. The inlet and outlet ends of these tubes are shown connected to the riser tubes, indicated at 33 and 34, which are connected to the dry steam space 35 in the usual manner.

Referring now to what I term the holder for inserting the superheater units 24 into the tubes 2, 36 designates this member, which comprises a substantially fiat member of strap iron with the end portion 37 to which the other end of the cable 11 is secured, as

, shown at 38. 39 and 40 are offset arm portions with upturned ends 41 and 42. Con nected to the arms 39 and 40 is the extension 43 having the elliptical-shaped member 44 with the opening 45. 46- is arib which terminates at the elliptical-shaped member 44.

The operation of my invention is as follows: the bracket member 5 is secured to the flange 4; the split members 14 and 15 are then inserted in two of the boiler tubes 2, preferably separated, or spaced, in the positions shown in Fig. 3. The upper set of split members is placed near the four boiler tubes into which the tubes of a superheater unit are to be inserted, as 25 and 26, in one tube; 27 and 28 in another boiler tube and so on.

two wedges. The cable ll is now passed around the two pulleys 12and its free end shown in Fig. 2. The bent end 30 of two of the tubes of the unit are inserted in the The hooks 20 of two of the snatchblocks 21 are placed in the eyes 19 of the mounted in one or more tubes of elliptical member 44 of the holder and the rib 46 against the end of these bent tubes, as shown in Fig. 2. Upon the operation of the motor 10, the cable 11 is wound on the drum 8. This operation causes the holder 36 to be moved towards the end of the boiler, as shown in Fig. 1 by the arrow 11 and carry with it the superheater unit 24. The arms 39 and 40 are placed on upright pipes 33 and 34 and serve to prevent the pipes of the unit from being bent or distorted during the operation.

WVhen other units are to be inserted in other tubes, the members 14 and 15 are removed by loosening the wedge or key 17 and then inserted in other tubes of the boiler and the operation repeated, until all of the units are inserted.

What I claim is:

1. An apparatus for the purpose described, comprising in combination, a motor, a Windlass operated by the motor, a cable attached to the Windlass, a means insertable in the tubes of a boiler, sheave wheels attachable to the said means and over which the cable passes, a holder member to which the cable is attached whereby, when a superheater unit is placed on the holder, the tubes of the same may be inserted in some of the tubes of the boiler.

2. In combination in an apparatus for inserting superheater units into the tubes of a boiler, said apparatus comprising, a motor and Windlass secured to the boiler, sheave wheel supporting devices removably secured in one or more tubes of the boiler, a 'holder member for supporting the unit, and a cable connected to the Windlass and holder and passing over the sheave wheels.

3. In combination, in an apparatus for inserting superheater units into the tubes of a boiler, said apparatus comprising, a motor and Windlass secured to the boiler, sheave wheel supporting devices removably secured in one or more tubes of the boiler,

a holder member for supporting the unit,

and a cable connected to the Windlass and holder and passing over the sheave wheels, said devices comprising separable members and means for expanding the same when inserted in the tubes of a boiler. y

4. An apparatus for the purpose described having, in combination, a bracket member, a motor and a Windlass on the bracket member, means for temporarily supporting a superheater unit, cable means between the unit supporting means and the motor, and pulley means removably the boiler. 5. An apparatus for the purpose described having, in combination, a bracket member,'a motor and a Windlass on the bracket member, means for temporarily supporting a superheater unit, cable means between the unit supporting means and the I motor, and pulley means removably mounted in one or more tubes, said pulley means comprising movable members and means actuated by the cable for frictionally retaining the movable members in a tube.

6. In an apparatus for the purpose described, having, in combination, amotor, a drum connected to the motor, a supporting member for a superheater unit having a portion to receive an end of the .unitand arm portions which engage the upright pipes of the unit, sheave wheelsremovably supported in a plurality of the tubes of a boiler, and a cable connecting the drumand the unit supporting member, the arrangement of the apparatus being such that when the motor is operated the unit will be in stalled in its respective boiler tubes. I o 7. An apparatus for installing the tubes 7 V of a superheater unitvin the tubes of a locomotive or other boiler, a bracket for attachment to the boiler, a drum operated by the motor, a cable connected to the drum, pulley means removably secured in one or more of the tubes of the boiler, and means to which the cable isconnected for ,temporarily supporting the unit when it is being installed in the tubes of the boiler.

8. As an article of manufacture a holder member for a superheater unit comprising a plate member having oppositely located arms, an elliptical-shaped portion at one end and a rib portion terminating adjacent;

the elliptical-shaped portion, as described. J'

WILLIAM N. 'TA TRO. 

